more pyramids?? crazy egyptians...

So this weekend saw me at more pyramids. These had more distinctive names than the last ones. There was the Step Pyramid at Saqqara. Then the Red and Bent Pyramids at Dashur. The day was mainly encompassed by sitting in a taxi to get to these places going through the Egyptian countryside. Our driver spoke about no English so that made things kinda interesting, especially since I was somehow made the point man for talking with him. We did manage to get there and back though, so we can chalk that up to a success, right?

The Step Pyramid is believed to be the oldest pyramid in Egypt and is surrounded by any number of tombs (a new one was just found there last week). I don't think it's quite as tall as the pyramids at Giza but it is impressive in it's own right. But my favorite part of the site (I was here once before) is the hallway of columns that is the entrance to the site.

That being said the Red Pyramid had to be my favorite for the day. The climb down up the side of it to then climb down into it was crazy. But like the Pyramids at Giza the end goal wasn't quite as exciting. But it's still really cool that you are climbing into the heart of this massive ancient structure.

Then we got to the freaky one. The Bent Pyramid is called that because it is... well, bent. The Egyptians tried to build a steep pyramid but realized the had over done it as it started cracking. So they just lowered the slope a bit (this new slope is the same one used for the Red Pyramid that came after). The result is a very bent look to this pyramid. However, the one neat thing is that it has a lot of its casing still intact. So you can see what it would have looked like all the way back. It's a pretty impressive thing to transpose the casing you see here in your mind to the Pyramids at Giza.

It's starting to look like next weekends trip is going to be to Sinai and the weekend after to Jordan. I still can't wait for Jordan! As always, much love back home! Missing you all. Especially you, my love. :-*

Did I do that?

I just saw an Egyptian Steve Urkel. Didn't have the suspenders or the highwaters. But, did have the thick glasses on a strap thing. And this kid was licking a lollipop in the most ridiculous way. Totally made my day.

That's all. Thought I'd share.

Big stacks of stone

So, yea. You'd think I'd be faster to post about going to the pyramids. But, I guess I'm not. I was there before and this time, the only thing that really changed was going inside two of them. That, in itself, isn't so amazing until you consider the fact that you are fucking right in the middle of this huge icon that everyone on the face of the planet knows. So, that was kinda cool. Well, actually, it was a bit like a sauna in there.

In other news, guava juice freakin' rocks my socks. So yummy. Good thing they have it back in the states; though, it's not as common. Karkaday, too. I figured it out. It's the name for hibiscus tea over here. Now, that, I'm pretty sure, I can't get back in the States. I'll have to bring some back for everyone to try and to have a secret stash of my own.

This weekend, I also need to crack down and apply for some internships. I've been a bit bogged down with work and a lack of sleep. But, I really need to do this. Ugh. But, I'm going to find a way to distract myself... I just know I will.

Also, this weekend, I believe the trip is going to be to see more pyramids. This time older ones as they tried to perfect their pyramid building skills. And actually they just uncovered some new stuff at the same place: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6379431.stm. So that should be exciting. I'm looking more forward to getting out of this country once I get my passport back (had to hand it over so they could put a student visa in it). Jordan is the destination. I plan to see Petra (the place that the Holy Grail supposedly is at the end of Indiana Jones (it's not actually there, btw)) and the Dead Sea, the lowest below sea level you can get without actually going to the sea. As a result it's super rich in oxygen, which, mixed with the super salty waters that you can float in, is supposed to be super good for you.

But, yea, about that - I'm afraid I'm starting to get sick. Not hot, Btw. So, I think I shall cut this post kinda short and head to bed, in hopes that I can kill this thing before it starts. Peace all who read this and even those who don't - you know who you are! I love you, dearest and I hope you also aren't getting sick.

"H" shall be the letter thou shalt spell, and the letter of the spelling shall be "H"

If you comment, you get a letter; list 10 things you love that begin with that letter.
Steff gave me H:

1. Ham Sandwiches
2. Harry Potter (the books, I think he's a whiny bitch and a git)
3. Haribo
4. Having nothing on my agenda for the day aside from Hanging out
5. Home (wherever that might be, just to kick back and relax from time to time)
6. Hibiscus Tea (it's got a name over here, I'll have to figure it out)
7. Hamburgers
8. Hugs
9. Hobbes
10. Her! :-D

A Week's Worth of Classes

Well, I used the excuse of "going to class" for the whole week. And now that classes are done for this week (you got to love the weekend starting on Thursday!), I should post. Someone told me that classes aren't the best part about going to school here at the AUC and I'm inclined to believe them. That being said, you could say the same thing about classes and Penn State.

Sunday started off nicely. First class was at 1 and it what is going to be my easiest class by far. Egyptology taught by a Greek. His accent takes a little getting used to, but he promises the class will be fun. And we have 3 field trips. And I know people in the class, which is nice. The reading is pretty light, it's only 50 mins 3 times a week, two projects of up to 1,000 words. Very nice. Then, it was Arabic afterwards. Taught by Sophie, a nice little old Egyptian lady. She may be old, but she's still very sharp and mobile. Maybe she's not as old as I think, but she looks pretty old. Oh! and she has glasses to rival Joe Pa's for thickness. She's very helpful with questions and her English is very good. So, this is probably going to be my next easiest class as long as I can stay on top of it. Plus, this year I'm surrounded by other students who know Arabic so I can ask for help, which is nice. This class ended at 350, and so did my day!

Monday started with a class that I have now dropped. It's a bummer because from the title of the course, "Social and Political Thought in the Modern Arab World," sounded so cool. But, it's a lot of ideology and me and ideology don't mix so well. Especially when the prof just floats about in her discussion. Oh, well. Afterwards it was another round with Sophie except a one hour and 20 minute version this time. My day ended with Arabic again.

Tuesday would normally start with Egyptology but, our prof went to England and so we had the day off. My first class this day was Arabic then. But it didn't end with it. Not this day. I had my first 2 and a half hour long courses (4-630). It's only once a week, but it's going to be a bitch to sit there that long in a class, even if it's interesting. But yea, this class is basically all about Israeli domestic politics. Which is interesting, just not what I was expecting when I signed up for the course. I'm thinking this semester is a big lesson in don't judge the course by it's title. But, this prof seems like the best I'm going to have this semester. I'm saying this now only cause I'm going to be cursing her for the rest of the semester as she is piling on the readings and work. Every week we have to write a two page reaction to the readings (this week about 80 pages) plus there is a take home essay, a 15 minute presentation and a 20-25 page term paper at the end of all of this. Oi.

Wednesday, I went to the class I have now dropped again. I was sure of it after this class. Then to Arabic again. Then my second 2 and a half hour long class (430-7). This one on International Relations of the Middle East taught by the head of the department. This guy is super long winded and takes forever to say what he wants to get across. It's going to make for a really long 2 and a half hours. Though, he's been recommended. So we'll see. I haven't gotten the official syllabus for this class, but it's prob going to be similar to above but with a book review as well. So yea, I don't know how they tell you to make sure you do lots of traveling here then pile you under with work. Ugh.

Thursday sees me in one class: Egyptology. Which is nice cause then I'm done at 150 and have the rest of the weekend to do what I like, even if that's reading till my eyes fall out of my skull. Today, however, I went to the market of Khan al-Khalili. I will put pictures up later. But this place is really pretty cool. Lots of tight winding passages with lots of stuff, mainly touristy. But the bargaining is fun, you can get already cheap stuff for cheaper. I think I'm heading back there this weekend again, we'll see. I want to get some worry beads for myself, maybe a little something else for Steff. It's sad that the shopkeepers there harass you so much. It would be such a nicer experience if they didn't.

Random thoughts will come to me later. Much love to those back at home, and especially to my beautiful girl.

random thoughts with no real context

So, there's been random stuff that I've failed to mention in previous posts and such that I feel should be mentioned. They are pretty much random observations or whatever. So, without further adieu:

I was on the shuttle back from campus one day and, I swear that this is God's honest truth, I saw an Egyptian guy crossing the street wearing a sweater that said "Enjoy Pennsylvania."

It rained today here in Cairo and it's a good bit chillier than it has been. The breeze off the Nile doesn't help much, either. The funniest part though, is the fact that this is like cold to the Egyptians. So I've seen a few people and policemen with their scarves and gloves on.

Mon's going to enjoy this the most, but there is a church across the way from our dorm. And like every couple of nights there people are getting married. As I have walked out of the dorms, I've heard ululating coming from the mass of people gathered outside.

Communicating with people here is interesting because they can tell you are a foreigner so for the most part if they can speak English they will with you even though I want to try speaking in Arabic with them. And then when they can't I get bogged down in the fact that I can't speak Arabic well enough. It's pretty crazy, I just have to work harder at learning new phrases.

Hmm... I thought I had more, but, I guess that's all I've got for now. But, hey, two posts in one day. Who loves ya?

Love you.

For the first time in my life I know what a moonbeam is

I apologize for apparently I didn't do a good enough job telling you guys that I was going to be gone for two nights in Alexandria. But, I was! It was a pretty alright trip, for the most part. I met some new people, had some good food, saw some pretty stuff and waited around a lot. That's the problem with going in such large numbers; things get bogged down as you wait for people to get their acts together and get going.

So, I got up at the crack of dawn to get to campus in order to get on the buses. However, I got there, did some waiting, checked in, did some more waiting, got on the bus waited some more, and then 30 minutes after we were to leave we finally left. As we were getting to the edges of the city, you could tell the population got poorer and poorer. It was a sad sight. But, it was nearly overshadowed (perhaps literally) by the sight of seeing the pyramids off in the distance. They are huge, like mountains in the far off distance. Except, these mountains are built by man.

When we got to Alexandria, there is something called the Corniche. Basically, the stretch of road along the beach. It goes on for what seems like forever, we traveled up and down it so many times, too. The thing about it, though, is that there are like bays? along the coast. So, the buildings and the road all curve and you can see this point in the distance, but when you get to that point, another bay starts. We had to go back and forth on this deceptive road for both dinners and back and out sightseeing the next day. I don't know why I spend so much time on this, but I do. :-p

The first day was kinda laid back, we showed up, took forever to get to our rooms, then had lunch and I napped pretty much until dinner then. Dinner was good, it was a fish place and was very yummy. I wish I had taken my camera, because one of the pieces of fish was basically a fish cut in half and thrown on the grill. So by the time it got to us it still had it's scales, fins and all.

The next day, we had breakfast and then it was orientation time. This basically, consisted of our associate dean getting up and telling us all what we should and shouldn't do in Egypt then addressing some of the worries and concerns that they forced us to write down. One of these concerns was kinda funny, "What if the Israelis attack Egypt like they attacked Lebanon?" Then it was time for a bit of lunch and then I did some exploring, where I took must of those pictures. Then it was out for dinner (I remembered the camera for this one) and again it was very yummy. Then it was back to the room where Brian, the other one on the trip (they do things by first name here), and I experienced the joy of international tv. We watched Italian roller hockey (roller skates not blades) where the crowds were insane, ALF dubbed in German, some French news, Premiership football, CNN, Spanish soap operas with a western theme and an Arabic music video about (we're approximating here) a guy dumping the girl and she decides to dump gasoline on his couch and light it on fire. It was an enjoyable evening to say the least.

The next morning it was up early to check out and eat breakfast and get ready to go sightseeing. The first stop was some Roman catacombs it was a small site, but impressive. All of it was cut out of the bedrock and there were columns and tunnels and reliefs all with a mixture of Egyptian and Roman symbolism. Unfortunately, cameras weren't even allowed there, so I have no pictures of the catacombs for you guys. Sorry. Next, we went to a Roman Amphitheater, which is nothing new to me, except for the fact that it was U-shaped for musicians instead of a semi-circle for performances. The last stop before lunch was the Fort of Kaytbay (or Qaitbay). It was neat and about on the sight where the Lighthouse would have been. The most impressive thing about it was how well the color of the fort matched the sky and sea. Lunchtime! Again, it was yummy. The last stop in Alexandria before heading back to Cairo was the Library. I thought this was the coolest place on the trip.

Then on the way home in the desert, the moon was so bright and as it was peaking through the clouds I could see the rays of light falling towards earth. It was truly a sight to behold. And, I wanted you there with me.